living, loving, life

I’m not ashamed. It’s Saturday night and I am home getting ready for bed and I couldn’t be happier. Craig left for work at 9pm and I am settling in for a relaxing night. We stopped at Best Buy tonight to check out some cameras. My birthday is one week from today and I’m thinking of purchasing new camera for myself. I was looking at getting a Canon but the gentleman at Best Buy also showed me some great Sony cameras. I am not very camera savvy so I need to check some reviews online before purchasing. So tonight I plan on doing a little camera shopping online and possibly finishing up the last 100 pages of Mockingjay. Chances are I will only be able to get through a few pages before falling asleep mid-sentence.

Today was my last day of work before I start my new job on Monday. It was so hard saying goodbye to everyone but I plan on stopping in to say hi soon!! Everyone was so sweet today and I will truly miss working there. After work today Craig and I went to a local coffee shop to watch my friend Amy perform some of her songs. I want to give a huge shout out to her for doing such an amazing job! It was her first live performance as dRea. She puts so much emotion and hard work into her music and I couldn’t be prouder. Please check her out! If you like her online you will love her live!

I’m getting sadder to be leaving my job to start a new one. I am really going to miss the people.

So today we will talk about Gus at the dog park! We just got back and he had a blast 🙂 He found a 9-month old Weimaraner puppy that he just loved. They played together for a very long time. They were finding sticks and running in and out of the pond. They were having such a good time and it was really fun to watch them play. It helped me take my mind off work and it wore off a lot of his energy.

It was weird being back at work today after having 3 days off. It took me a little while to get back into the swing of things. Check my email, read any notes, etc. Maybe it was more difficult knowing that I only have 4 days left. I feel like there is still so much work to be done but I guess that is for me to pass on to others.

Also, since I am used to working a retail schedule and next week I start regular business hours I am trying to squeeze in the little things I like to do on weekdays. Get my oil changed, haircut, taking Gus to the dog park, to name a few. I just have to remind myself that there will still be plenty of time for all that.

With that being said I finish up work on Saturday, have Mother’s Day off, and start the new job Monday morning! Luckily there won’t be too much time to stress because it is all going to happen very fast!

Today is my 3rd day off from work! I have really enjoyed the time off. Tomorrow I go back for a 4 day run and then I start my new job on Monday! It will be very hard to say good-bye but that is something to worry about later.

My mom, Sara, my brother’s girlfriend and I are going to the spa tonight! We are going to have some girl time and get massages. I am really excited! It will be the perfect end to my mini vacation.

I have to go to the dentist today. Yuck! I’m not a huge fan of the dentist but it’s time for a cleaning. After it’s all done my teeth always feel so good it’s just during that I don’t like. Since I am home visiting my parents now is the time to squeeze in an appointment.

After the dentist I am going to lunch with my dad and then shopping with my mom until spa time! Can’t wait! It should make for a great day! 🙂

I recently finished reading Identity: Your Passport to Success by Stedman Graham. I thought the book was good. It focuses on becoming successful by knowing yourself and staying positive. Throughout the book, Stedman goes through his 9-step success process and tells personal stories about himself and others who have overcome obstacles, discovered their identity, and become successful.

My favorite excerpt from the book from Jake Steinfeld:

“You look at yourself in the mirror sometimes and know you have a great idea. You write it down at night, and you wake up the next morning with all the excitement and enthusiasm to pull off this idea, this dream, and all of a sudden you start thinking of the reasons why you can’t. By the time you’ve had coffee and gotten into your car, you stop thinking about succeeding because you start toying with the notion that you can’t do this.”

I particularly like this paragraph because this is me. I know that I have good ideas but I just do not know how to follow through and really believe that I can make it happen. For me I have so many ideas it is hard to focus on what I really want to do. There are lots of questions throughout the book with space to answer. I might have to go back through and answer these questions to really get the most out of this book.

If there is one thing that you can take away from this book it is that you can do anything with hard work and dedication. Everyone is equal because we are all given 24 hours in a day. It is how you choose to use those hours that makes the difference. This book leaves you feeling hopeful and positive about where your life could lead.

For this weeks photo challenge I found this picture from a Lady Gaga concert. We were so high up and so far away it was hard to get any clear pictures. This is the opening of the concert before she even came out. It’s cool because it is her image on the big screen before they raise it to show the stage.

This second “unfocused” picture is Craig and me on our 1 year anniversary. He surprised me by taking me to dinner and then on a horse-drawn carriage ride. This photo is from my iPhone camera. I love this photo because it is one of the best from that night.